Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Thursday announced to vote for the ruling coalition’s joint candidate Asif Ali Zardari in the presidential election.

This was announced by party’s convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui after a meeting with a delegation led by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the federal capital.

“Thanks for coming. We are with you. We will support Zardari Sahab in the presidential election and will vote for him,” Siddiqui told reporters in joint-presser with Bilawal.

The meeting was held after a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for coalition partners. He described MQM-P’s demands as genuine and urged them to vote for Zardari.

The PPP co-chairman would be up against Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai on March 9, who enjoys the backing of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

Siddiqui started his media talk by saying that his party has extended support in the past, citing that it was MQM-P that first proposed Zardari for president’s seat in 2013.

Bilawal thanked MQM-P for their support and added that both parties were interested in resolving the issues in Karachi.

He added that he was looking forward to the government’s focus on Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub.